Samanayrs

(Introducing Sol)

In the north, a star falls from the sky. There is no great crater, no conflagration. She impacts the hard packed snow lightly on hooves, and begins her trek. She could fly the rest of the way, but prefers to feel the firmness of nature beneath her. By now it has become her tradition: she has made the journey countless times before and always walked. There is value in tradition and Sol, understanding this better than most, changes only when she must. Beside, she loves the swath of thaw left behind her when she travels. She looks over her shoulder and smiles at the melted snow slipping away and evaporating with every step she takes, revealing the now softened earth beneath.

A faint red aurora brightens the sloping horizon, framing the outstretched arm of the milky way. The vast white field is silent, save for the hum of her flames. It was the sound the sun would make if it was here on Earth with us instead of alone out there in the solar system. With no air it cannot sing, but Sol can sing for it. Little tufts of white snow orbit her as she walks: they are a constant nuisance. Her gravity gathers them to her, and they spin in elliptical descending orbits until they strike her and burn up with a hiss. She is used to it by now, but she doesn't appreciate the constant reminder.

As she crests a hill a candle becomes visible in the distance: a hot spring. It was not there the last time she visited; no doubt some song had worked very hard to unearth it. A handful of tiny trees, very much out of place, hung about the hot spring. The seeds, Sol imagines, must have been carried across the snow from far to the south. Trees would not grow naturally in the tundra, but ayr'kin are not easily dissuaded by such bans. The sight of those three impossible trees, standing stoically against the flat and permanently frozen vista, was something truly inspiring. Could there have been magic involved in growing them here? "So much has happened while I was gone." Sol whispers to herself.

From the impossible hot spring, a candle becomes visible in the distance: a silhouette of pure flames atop the hill crest, dancing against the star-filled night sky. The northerns who are gathered there for some relief against the cold take pause, lift their heads from the water, and wonder what could be coming. As they do it begins to roll down the hill, or rather, to trot. This flame is clearly a Samanayr.



( Hey this is my first post in RP here, if I do anything wrong just tell me OK! For this RP I'd prefer is people use their favorite Northern or hybrid Sams, but if you can think of a cool reason why your less warmly dressed Sam might be freezing his tail off up there -> plus plus to you! )

Under the sparse shade cast by a few twisted trees Flurry soaked chest deep in the hot waters of the Northern spring, her fluffy coat swirling in the water around her body like some strange anemone casting its fingers out with each slight movement she made. A layer of steam hugged the surface of the pool, billowing and swirling up into the frigid cold of the air to mix with the frosty breaths of the other ayr'kin whom lounge in the hot springs warmth. Most were submerged in the warm water as she was, revealing in the almost burning heat that banished the cold from their bones but a few sat at the hot springs edge talking amongst themselves or silently enjoying the peace. She couldn't see the point of coming all the way to the little pool and not enjoying the luxury of warm water when winter never truly relinquished its grip this far North. But to each their own, she would spend as much time as she had in the water.

Letting her mind wander off Flurry hardly noticed as the chatter around her began to ebb and fade until it finally petered out to a tense silence. Looking up in startled surprised, her gaze quickly picked out the glow that crested a hill opposite, the same glow that had caught the attention of all the samanayr-kin around her. As she watched the glow flickered, dancing like a flame against the light of the aurora and it quickly became apparent that it was a flame that moved toward the hotspring, rolling smoothly down the hill. Inside the fire Flurry could just make out a pale form that seemed to be an samanayr, but she had never heard of a samanayr like the one that was approaching.

At the edge of the hotspring, as far away from most of those gathered there as possible, what looked at first like two remarkably similar branches emerged from the water. A closer look would reveal them to be antlers and that under them was the very top of a head with only eyes and nose above the water. But all those who had come for that closer look had been glared away again. Keeper had long lived in a far corner of the North with only a meagerly warmed bit of water and his own thick fur to keep the deadly chill at bay. Now that he'd been freed from his guardianship there he was in no hurry to leave the first real warmth that he had felt in ages. Or to be disturbed while he was enjoying it.

Five golden rings, reminders of the trick that had been played on him and destroyed his willingness to trust anyone ever again, rested quietly on the bank of the pool. No longer did they tumble away from him at every chance or any of the other mischief they had originally been enchanted to. He wasn't sure anymore why he still carried them with him. Habit perhaps. It wasn't as though he was likely to forget that prankster of a Sharian who had cost him so much of his life by 'entrusting' Keeper with the rings to the point of giving him a new name to honor his 'duty.' Not after so many years that he couldn't even remember what name his mother had given him.

One green eye cracked open to balefully stare at the rings as the Northern stallion mused over his past. As he opened his eye Keeper noticed that the background murmur of sound he had almost become used to was fading away. And the night sky was growing lighter. Why? It wasn't the time of year for the light to begin returning to the North. Lifting his head ever so slightly from the deliciously warm water he turned to glare in the direction of the light. "Gyreat. Moyre magic," he grumbled, sinking down in the water once more as he saw the pillar of light with the shimmering outline of one of the Kin shining within. "Just what I needed. Not." Not that he thought anyone was listening to him, not when such a 'fascinating' thing was approaching at speed.

((Yes...he's not exactly nice or social...but he wanted to join in. He's also the only Northern I could figure a reason to have here and have a personality for...))

Sol slows herself as she reaches the base of the hill. The impossible hot spring is not far now, and she can see that the small number of Sams who are gathered there to rest have noticed her approach. Sol remembers a time when Elementals were legendary, rather than simply rare. In those ancient days, a creature like her could not expect to be well received no matter where she went. Thus, when she decided to be a tale singer, some of the first songs she put to memory were Oath songs. They are well known songs that are sung as greetings, or to warn of danger. These days young ayr'kin favor the human tongue, and many children refuse to learn them by heart. Regardless, every Sam can at the very least recognize the old songs and ken their meaning.

Still far off, the inferno begins to sing, and her soft song fills the north. Any Sam raised among its kin should recognize the old Oath song: it is a greeting song. Rarely heard in times of peace, it promises that the singer is without foul intentions. The approaching Sam sings it beautifully; even in full stride her voice does not waver. Though it is a rare old song, she sings it as though it is a song she has sung a hundred thousand times. Hearing the it, some of the Sams at the spring begin to sing along with the parts they remember, and their hearts are eased by hearing it. Others, no doubt, are no less suspicious for having heard it.

As she nears the spring the sam becomes more clearly visible. She is a beautiful white mare wreathed in a strange orange flare. Of course, ayr'kin wreathed in flames is not what it used to be: while by no means common place, most Sams have heard of, if not seen, an elemental. There is something about this one's wreath that sets it apart from the others though...

(( Hey, I haven't had Sol arrive yet. I want to wait until there are one or two more RPers in on this... Come on people! Pull those Northerns out of hiding and make Sol feel welcome in this cold dayless land!

Heh heh... Also, if someone wants to RP a few other NPC Sams who might be hanging out at the hot spring that would be great (in particular I'm thinking of the owner of the spring, though maybe they are away tonight? Or maybe it is owned communally? Things are a little different in the north, after all.). Thanks!))

((It seems to me that a hotspring like this one would be rare enough that it would have to be communial ground to have attracted so many Northerns for different songs. I can't imagine a stallion/song willing to share when there is the chance of anothe stallion or song challenging him for the hotspring unless there was some sort of truce already in place.))



Flicking a glance at the grumbling stallion to her left, so submerged in the water that only his green eyes and imposing antlers gave any sign that he was even there. Of course with just those eyes he'd made it fairly clear to anyone who'd approached him that he had no interest in conversing and most of the sam-kin at the hot spring had taken his hint and left him alone. Flurry had been only to happy to comply till now, she had no desire to have her pleasant evening ruined by a stallion in a foul mood. But since he seemed to be the only one not surprised and confused by the creature coming towards them she wasn't about to let him remain ignored when he might know something the rest of them didn't.

Wading a bit closer she caught his disgruntled mutterings about magic and looked back at the glowing Kin racking her brain to remember all the various creatures of magic she'd heard about. "Well magic would explain a lot," she said to know one in particular- if the stallion choose to respond that was his prerogative. She was pretty sure the thing wasn't a Sharian (not that she knew what they looked like) and while Mystics had some magic this creature seemed much more powerful than those she'd met in the past. The only other magical creatures she knew about that resembled Kin where elementals but what would an elemental that burned like the sun be doing in the far North where frigid winds stripped the land bare of all but the ice and cold?

She let these thoughts go when the soft cords of a song reached the hotspring surprised to recognized a melody she hadn't hear since leaving her birth song. Her mother had insisted she learn the old songs, Oath songs she'd called them, lecturing her daughter on their importance and meaning until Flurry was sure the songs were ingrained do deeply in her head she'd never be able to forget them. She relaxed, not realizing she'd been tense until that moment, as she recognized the old greeting song. As other Northerns added thier voices to the song, some wavering and unsure, other stumbling over words and humming part they didn't know, Flurry added her rich voice to the song that welcomed the newcomer to the hotsprings.

((I'd think that a large hotspring would become a communal gathering place in the winter as well. Perhaps there is one Song who claims it and remains there year round, but during the winter I think it would become shared warmth.))

Keeper had closed his eyes again and was determinedly trying to ignore the heavy silence of the atmosphere and resume his pleasant soak when ripples of water from one of the others approaching splashed up into his nose. Lifting his head slightly and shaking it to clear the water (accidentally on purpose splashing and spraying water at the interloper) Keeper snorted. One green eye cracked open again, a narrow slit of color on his shaggy face. "And yraise moyre questions than it can answeyr no doubt. I want naught to do with it. Good day." With another snort he pointedly shut his eyes and sank down below the waters again.

So what if the magic bearing kin was coming here. There was no reason why he couldn't remain tucked away in this little corner of the spring. Especially not if the shaggy mare would just take his message and leave him be. Let the others flock to the magic one and keep its attention on them while he made up for the better part of a decade's icy chill.

One ear twitched and his eyes cracked open again to warily regard the approaching flame as a voice raised in joyous song emerged from it. Ever close it was coming, brightening the entire place to day time light, making Keeper glad he had only cracked his eyes. Unlike most of those gathered here, who raised their voices to cry ancient welcome and peace back to the flaming singer, the stallion kept his silence. Oh, he recognized the meaning in the Song, even if he held no memory of the words any longer. But he also knew of no reason why one bearing ill will to them should not also approach singing the song of reassurance? Even if the words were meant to hold some magic that bound the singer to peace, this particular singer seemed magical enough on their own. Magic could be broken or bent by stronger magic. No, he would not welcome this stranger who had come bringing noise and light and chaos in their wake.

Keeper's eyes remained narrowed against the light that Sol shed, but the also remained fixed upon her. Untrusting. Unwelcoming. Cold green eyes remained wary and watchful from the far corner of the pond. If the others wanted to risk inviting danger down upon themselves that was their watch. He wasn't going to trust this at all.

Chill was surprised by the gradual reddening of the sky. It was not time for the sun to rise yet; certainly not time for "his" snow and ice to melt away. His mind immediately jumped to magic, though he quickly dismissed Mystics and Miseries as possible culprits. He doubted that there were any strong enough to light up the sky like that. Perhaps another Elemental?

Both curious and wary, the stallion broke into a swift lope, heading in the direction of the growing light. Chill could move surprisingly quick even with all of his fur and icicles, and soon he could see what looked like a flickering flame heading down towards a small, unnatural stand of trees. For a moment, he was confused; then he remembered that several Samanayrs had built a hotspring here and planted those trees. He'd never been been to the hotspring before; after all, there was no reason for him to.

It wasn't until a song sprung forth from fireball that Chill was certain that this was another Elemental. He paused for a moment, cocking his head to one side as he listened to the old Oath song, before breaking into a swift trot again. But this time, he sang along, his deep voice perhaps a little bit off-key. After all, while his mother had labored to teach him these songs, he had never used them before. There had been no need to. If he was going to enter another Samanayr's territory, it was unlikely he was going to even ask permission, let alone sing an Oath song to a Samanayr who had probably never heard it before. That was just the way he was.

Hearing the ayr'kin reply in song fills Sol with joy. Since the sharians took an interest in her kind, Sol has been glad to find herself better received wherever she goes. It's a relief, truly, for her to be able to feel more at ease among her brothers and sisters, but at the same time she feels a modicum of sadness: the old songs, the old language, and the old ways of the samanayrs... she could feel them gradually being forgotten in exchange for fresh new culture. Greater than the warmth of being greeted, she takes solace in the singing voices of a hot spring isolated in the north. She imagines that her oath song makes the sams nostalgic for their youth, or bids them to remember their dams and sires. She can feel her cheeks brighten at the thought.

You can see her clearly now, and she is magnificent. The energy that surrounds her is strange. It is most certainly not fire. It does not crackle and dance the same way, and the colors are wrong. Neither is it lava (though most of the sams gathered around the impossible hot spring have probably never seen molten rock, which is more common in the south). It is probably safe to say that everyone in the group has seen the wreath that plays across her delicate body, but that no one would be able to recognize it from this close. She is covered in a glowing roiling mass of opaque orange threads, almost viscous in their behavior but clearly insubstantial. Some of them leap languidly in slow arcs across the surface of her body, and in time with this there is a barely audible basal hum that grows and fades in intensity like a heartbeat.

Furthermore, she is bright. When she arrives the elemental sheds light enough to block out all but the brightest stars in the sky. The light she brings is not quite as powerful as daytime, but certainly much brighter than a campfire of any size, or even the magical lights the humans and Sharians sometimes use in their cities.

Despite all that is foreign about her, her face and eyes give the impression of a light hearted sam, surprised and delighted to find company this far north. Her natural body, where it is visible inside the field of energy, is petite and white. She looks like a well raised child of a healthy southern song. Her gait is calculated and graceful without seeming aloof, and her fur is clean, smooth, and dry.

The elemental finishes her song as she approaches the hotsping, and stops before the assembled. As she arrives, she bows her head humbly to each of the ayr'kin in turn and speaks.

"Good evening friend ayrs, I am Sol. I was traveling north towards the frozen oceans when I noticed your hot spring. May I please stay here and rest my hooves with you? The journey ahead is long still." Her voice is level and pleasant, and she doesn't give the sense of someone who is asking only to be polite.

(( Chill, I've assumed that Sol arrives before you if that's OK? It seemed in your post like Chill was still a little ways off, and I thought that one strange elemental arriving at a time would be best. Is that cool? ))

(( also, I too had imagined that the impossible hotspring was communal in winter, but had one song that tended it year round. Cool! ))

As the song died away Flurry waded over to get a better look at the newcomer noting the same curiosity on the faces of many of the others watching this strange mare. She watched fascinated as fiery threads, which she had earlier assumed were flame but now clearly saw were nothing of the sort, rolled almost lazily across the elementals back, flickering just enough belay their power. For a moment she wondered if Sol, as she had named herself, could control these threads and what it must feel like to touch the glowing wreath.

When no one else stepped forward to acknowledge the mare's greeting, Flurry spoke up, feeling oddly formal in front of the eyes of the other sams, "Welcome, I am Flurry of the Icy Wind. Please foyrgive ouyr lack of manneyrs, it is not often we ayre gyreeted in such a way by one as unusual as youyrself. This hotspyring is open to all so stay as long as you'd like." As she finished talking she relaxed, relieved to see many of the Northern's return to their own activities though she suspected most were still watching the new mare out of the corner of their eyes. She didn't blame them, she was just as eager to see what Sol did as the rest of them. Slipping back through the water towards the spot she had chosen earlier she looked back, head tilted to see if the elemental wished to join her. If she did Flurry might be able to discover just what it was that had this mare traveling to the Northern Sea's in the dead of winter. With the exception of those who had made their homes in the glacial caves along the sea she didn't know of many Northern's who traversed that territory during this season, most seemed to prefer the slightly more hospitable tundra until spring breathed life back into the world. If Sol wanted to enjoy the hot springs alone, like that grumpy stallion, she'd oblige and just keep her curiosity to herself.